12 NEWS VISIT US ONLINE borderwatch.com.au Work safety grants open LEADERS PLAN AHEAD: Grant High School vice captain Ebony Ballintyne (left), Mount Gambier Mayor Andrew Lee, Mount Gambier City Council’s Lynne Dowling and school captain Lily Thornley attend a planning day for the student representative council. Leadership ripple effect Grant High School students learn skills to guide peers REGIONAL leaders have met with students at Grant High School to help them develop skills to guide fellow youths. A planning day to organise events for the year was recently conducted by the student representative council, with the support of SRC coordinator Bev Collis and Jo Richards. The SRC initiative works to build and develop leadership skills each year, with the process starting at the planning day when the students are given the opportunity to work with professional leaders. Grant High School principal Peter Fairchild, Mount Gambier Mayor Andrew Lee, Mount Gambier City Council team leader Lynne Dowling and Primary Industries and Regions SA regional coordinator Peta Crewe were special guests at the event. Grassroots water safety campaign THE community is encouraged to jump on board a new initiative focusing on water safety in the region. A South East Water Safety Initiative community meeting will be held tonight at 6.30pm at the St John Ambulance station on Penola Road. Surf Life Saving SA’s development manager Steve Cornish visited the region recently to give lessons to Allendale East Area School Year 5 to 12 students to help encourage the younger generation to get on board. Mr Cornish said while Surf Life Saving SA was committed to developing the initiative, it needed to be supported and driven by the community. “We will provide as much resource as required, we will assist in accessing grants, acquire equipment, commit to a training and education program so you will ultimately have the skills and knowledge and resource to conduct a small program next season,” he said. A high attendance rate at tonight’s meeting will increase the likelihood of the region developing its own surf life saving initiatives. “Student participation in decision-making is vital and our school’s SRC is the voice of the student body,” Ms Collis said. “It is important that they learn valuable leadership skills as they are potentially our future leaders. “I am thrilled with the input from our city leaders and following the success of last year’s leaders’ walk the planning day proved to be a valuable learning experience.” School captain Lily Thornley said she believed the student council was important as it gave people the opportunity to voice their opinions and influence decisions made at Grant High School. The SRC planning day was followed by an induction ceremony, where the group of leaders was presented to the school community and parents. SAFEWORK SA is providing the opportunity for people to “get funded” to improve the safety of women at work. The state’s work health and safety regulator is funding practical solutions, initiatives or research up to $10,000 each to improve the health and safety of women at work. “These awards provide the opportunity for people to develop and implement ideas to improve the safety of women at work or to undertake research,” SafeWork SA’s acting executive director Marie Boland said. “Past recipients have helped improve the working lives of immigrant women working in aged care and the return to work of women who had experienced workplace bullying or harassment,” she said. Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals that while nationally the overall work-related injury rate is decreasing, the rate for women is relatively static, making the improvement of work health and safety outcomes for half the nation’s population an ongoing and important challenge, according to Ms Boland. “This year marks 120 years since suffragette and work health and safety advocate Augusta Zadow was appointed to promote improved working conditions for women and children in South Australia,” she said. “In that time her legacy has played a fundamental role in leading change and helping eradicate poor work practices and unsafe working conditions.” Ms Zadow was a founding member of the Working Women’s Trade Union and appointed as South Australia’s first Lady Inspector of Factories in 1895. As a staunch advocate for women’s rights in the workplace, she devoted her life to improving working conditions for South Australian women. The Augusta Zadow Awards honour her memory and celebrate her extraordinary achievements by providing the opportunity to further improve the lives of working women in South Australia. “She worked tirelessly to progress fair pay for South Australian women and was responsible for many of the basic workplace safety conditions we now take for granted,” Ms Boland said. “Continuing positive work SCHOOL CAPTAINS: Allendale East Area School has announced school captains for 2015 Jason Watts and Felicity Treacey (centre). Kym Stark (left) and Holly Sprakel are the vice captains. Senior students at the school presented their speeches to peers before the four leaders were chosen. All captains are expected to display the school values of courage, excellence and respect and are serve as role models for their peers. to support safe and equitable working conditions is a fitting way to remember Augusta Zadow.” Applications for the 2015 Augusta Zadow Awards close on June 26. 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